North Penn and Neshaminy advanced to the Elite Eight of the PIAA Class AAAA Tournament. Check back for photo galleries of the Neshaminy/Upper Dublin and North Penn/PV games.
(1-5) NORTH PENN 55, (1-1) PERKIOMEN VALLEY 52
Mikaela Giuliani admits it hadn’t been the best of nights.
Saddled with foul woes from the outset, the Lady Knights’ senior captain was on the bench for more than 10 minutes of the first half after picking up her third foul in the opening quarter.
Then she was whistled for her fourth foul early in the third quarter and once again found herself on the bench. Giuliani – the team's lone senior – made up for lost time in the fourth quarter, scoring several big baskets, and with the Lady Knights’ season hanging in the balance, the senior captain’s number was called.
“We had called a timeout, and we were going to set up a play called Dayton,” said Giuliani of a late timeout with the Lady Knights trailing 52-51. “Coach Jen (Carangi) actually said, ‘I say we give the ball to Jess (Huber) and Mik post up down low and give her the ball. They’re not going to be able to stop her down low,’ so that’s exactly what we did.
“I knew that my team was relying on me, and I wasn’t able to contribute as much as I would have liked to throughout the entire game. I wasn’t going to let my season end like this. Jess Huber gave me a great bounce pass, and I just had to go in and finish that layup.”
That’s exactly what Giuliani did, putting the Lady Knights on top 53-52 with 33 seconds remaining. A defensive stop at the other end and a huge defensive rebound by Sam Carangi set the stage for Huber – who led the Lady Knights with a glittering 18-point effort – stepping to the line for a pair of foul shots with 4.9 seconds remaining. She buried both, and when the Vikings’ desperation shot at the buzzer was off the mark, the exhilarating win was in the books for the Lady Knights.
“I’m just so proud of them because it was a raucous crowd,” coach Maggie deMarteleire said. “They had so many fans. It was a great atmosphere.
“Their student section was really good, and our kids – after losing that lead, for the last 90 seconds, they just regained their composure, made good decisions and won the game. It was great.
The Lady Knights – who fell to Perk Valley 69-50 in the season opener – knew that a key to the game was limiting the Vikings’ second chance opportunities.
“All we worked on was rebounding and protecting the paint,” coach Maggie deMarteleire said. “In less than a minute and a half, they had four offensive rebounds, and we picked up three fouls.
“They are relentless on the boards – 43 and 45 (Megan Jonassen and Taylor Hamm) are just relentless. Their effort on the offensive rebounding is unbelievable.”
Just over a minute into the game, Giuliani was whistled for her second foul. Her third came later in the quarter, and despite their somewhat shaky start, the Lady Knights recuperated to go on top 12-9 by the end of the frame and took a 29-22 lead into halftime.
“Our three sophomores came in and did an admirable job,” deMarteleire said. “The fact is – when Mikaela was out, the kids made good decisions offensively. We were making good passes. For Mikaela to sit on the bench over 10 minutes, and we’re up by seven at halftime – that’s pretty good.”
The Lady Knights’ lead grew to 13 by late in the third quarter, and they still led 45-34 heading into the fourth, but the Vikings erased that lead in short order.
“All of a sudden, (KT) Armstrong is like, ‘This is not going to be my last game,’” deMarteleire said of the St. Joseph’s-bound senior. “She would get the ball and go coast to coast.
“There was a stretch of about four minutes – five-and-a-half minutes to a minute-and-a-half in the game – where we took quick shots, we looked uncomfortable on offense, a couple of shots rimmed in and out.”
The Vikings went on top 50-49 with 90 seconds remaining in regulation, and they still led 52-51 when the Lady Knights regained possession, setting the stage for Giuliani’s game winner.
“She just showed great composure,” deMarteleire said. “In years past, she would have let those calls take her out of the game, and she did not let that happen.
“She really showed great composure, and when her time came, she went back in and did what she needed to do.”
Giuliani finished with 12 points – eight in the pivotal fourth quarter.
“I knew that I wasn’t who I should have been,” the senior captain said. “I didn’t play the way I wanted to, and I knew that I owed it to my team. They worked so hard without me, and I wasn’t just going to give up. I was going to go in there, and I was going to finish my layups just for them.”
Carangi and Bri Hewlett both had eight points, and Irisa Ye, seven points.
Armstrong led all scorers with 21 points in her final high school game. Jonassen finished with 11 points and 16 rebounds while Hamm had six points and 14 rebounds. Hanan Richmond added eight points and 12 boards in a contest that was played in front of a packed house.
“The majority of the people were Perk Valley fans,” Giuliani said. “They had a huge student section – they were extremely loud and screaming in our faces.
“We knew that we couldn’t let that environment affect how we played. We almost had to thrive off of it.”
The Vikings held a 46-30 rebounding edge with 23 offensive rebounds on the night.
“They were very strong, very physical the whole game,” said Giuliani. “Nothing was easy down low. We worked for everything, especially rebounding.
“Our number one thing going in was boxing out and rebounding, and they still had 23 offensive rebounds.”
The win was a significant one for a North Penn squad that saw its dream of a potential district title matchup with PV go up in smoke when Central Bucks South defeated the Lady Knights in overtime in a quarterfinal game.
North Penn (28-3, 14-0 SOL) has a date with Neshaminy in Friday’s state quarterfinals.
EXTRA SHOTS: Carangi and Irisa Ye led the Lady Knights with seven rebounds each. “My guards actually did a really good job rebounding,” deMarteleire said. “Irisa and Sam both came up with rebounds at the end.”…When the Vikings had the ball under the Lady Knights’ basket with 4.9 seconds remaining and trailing by three, deMarteleire was not about to have a rerun of the CB South loss that saw Jordan Vitelli bury a shot from beyond midcourt on an inbounds with 2.9 seconds remaining. “Lesson learned from the CB South game,” deMarteleire said. “We were up by three, and I said, ‘Okay, we’re going to sandwich Armstrong on this inbounds.’ Note to self – that’s not ever happening again, and Jess and Sam covered Armstrong. They ended up throwing a shot at the end, and we won.”…deMarteleire acknowledged that the statistics suggest this wasn’t North Penn’s day. “If you would have told me that PV had 23 offensive rebounds and we would have won, I would have said, ‘You’re crazy,’” the Lady Knights’ coach said. “It wasn’t like my kids weren’t trying because they were. They’re just so long and physical. But we only had eight turnovers and 16 assists, and that’s pretty good.” Carangi and Huber both had six assists. Carangi also had four steals.
North Penn 12-17-16-10 55
Perkiomen Valley 9-13-12-18 52
North Penn: Sam Carangi 8, Mikaela Giuliani 12, Bri Hewlett 8, Jess Huber 18, Jess McKenzie 2, Irisa Ye 7.
Perkiomen Valley: K.T. Armstrong 21, Ashley Bangert 2, Bridgette Bonjo 4, Taylor Hamm 6, Megan Jonassen 11, Hanan Richmond 8.
(1-7) NESHAMINY 53, (1-4) UPPER DUBLIN 35
It’s no secret – defense is the MO for both Neshaminy and Upper Dublin, so it was hardly a surprise to find the Redskins holding a 6-5 lead late in the first quarter. The tide began to turn with a Morgan Goldenbaum three-pointer, and at the end of one quarter, the ‘Skins led 11-7.
“It was the story of two defensive-minded teams, and who was going to break first,” Neshaminy coach Joe Lally said. “I was actually pleased to get 11 points in the first quarter.
“I thought – ‘That’s not bad. If we can score 11 a quarter, that’s 44 points.’ I thought we were very patient on the offensive end, and our shot selection might have been as good as it’s been all year. I thought we took high percentage shots. We didn’t force things.”
A 14-5 second quarter tear by the ‘Skins – which included a pair of three-pointers and nine points by Allison Harvey – sent Neshaminy into halftime with a 25-12 lead.
“We know a lot of teams are trying to stop her,” Lally said of his freshman sharpshooter. “We felt fortunate that we got the nine points.
“We knew in the second half life for Ali was going to get hard, and it was, but the other kids stepped up really nice.”
The Cardinals trimmed four points off the Redskins’ lead in the third quarter, and it was a 34-25 game heading into a final quarter that saw the ‘Skins close it out with a 19-9 burst.
I thought we did a really good job of not turning the ball over,” said Lally, whose team had 11 turnovers. “For at least half or three quarters of the game, they pressed or were trying some kind of half-court trap.
“We talked about having to limit our turnovers against a good team like that. They’re so well coached. They run a really good offense, and they’re patient for their shots also. We came out in the fourth quarter with great purpose – good patience but attacking the basket and getting what we wanted.”
Goldenbaum led the ‘Skins with 13 points, which included a 6-for-6 effort at the foul line. She also had seven rebounds. Freshman Brooke Mullin added 12 points, and Harvey added 11. She was 5-for-5 from the charity stripe and also had five rebounds.
“We talked a lot about – they can’t get second chances, and I thought we got more second chances, which helped us tremendously,” Lally said. “I thought our kids did a pretty good job of getting on the boards.
“In the locker room at halftime, I told them – ‘If there was a mirror that I could bring in the locker room, you would be looking at yourselves because those (Upper Dublin) kids are going to fight. They’re not quitters.’ I prepped them – if you play 15 minutes of a 16-minute half, you might not win. You have to play 16 minutes against this team, and I thought that was key.”
The Cardinals – who were once again without Ashley Barber (concussion) – were led by Josie Barrett’s 12 points. Allison Chernow added nine and Maggie Weglos, eight points.
For the Redskins, the storybook postseason continues.
“I said to the kids tonight – ‘This is your sixth consecutive game against a higher seed than you. Just the fact that you’re still playing – you should be really proud of yourselves,’” Lally said. “Not many teams are still playing after playing six consecutive higher seeds.
“We haven’t played a seed lower than us since West Chester Henderson in the first game of districts. I don’t know if it’s storybook as much as I think they’re a pretty good basketball team. They play well together, and they don’t quit.”
Neshaminy (23-7, 14-0 SOL) will face North Penn in a state quarterfinal game on Friday. It is the third time the two teams have met this season. The Lady Knights have won both.
Neshaminy 11-14-9-19 53
Upper Dublin 7-5-13-10 35
Neshaminy: Emily Alexis 2, Morgan Goldenbaum 13, Allison Howard 11, Brooke Mullin 12, Tiara Porterfield 6, Devon Storms 9.
Upper Dublin: Demi Balasa 2, Josie Barrett 12, Allison Chernow 9, Nicole Kaiser 4, Maggie Weglos 8.
(3-1) CUMBERLAND VALLEY 56, (1-3) CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 44
They exited the locker room in silence, many making no attempt to hide their tears. Endings are never easy, and for a Titan squad that had made history, seeing a special era in CB South basketball come to an end was especially hard.
“It hasn’t really hit me yet,” senior Taylor Dunn said. “I was crying as soon as the game ended, but I think what will really get me is tomorrow when I wake up and go to school without bringing my extra basketball bag, and we won’t have practice. It sucks, it really does.”
“We love each other so much,” senior Jordan Vitelli added. “And knowing tomorrow we’re not going to see each other at practice – it’s hard, but I don’t think these are tears of regret. We definitely left it all out on the court tonight.”
The Titans knew they faced a monumental task going against the two-time defending state champions, and that much was confirmed early on in Tuesday’s second round game.
A Vitelli three over a defender knotted the score 7-7. The Eagles went on top 13-7 after their second of three three-pointers in the quarter – this one by Morgan Baughman (14 points). A putback by Mackenzie Ehresman was followed by a Kate Jekot three, but Vitelli delighted the South faithful when she lofted a shot from long range at the buzzer to make it a 16-12 game.
Alexa Brodie scored on a drive to open the second quarter, and when Mackenzie Ehresman found Meghan Kuypers for a basket, the two teams were deadlocked 16-16. Kelly Jekot answered with a triple, but Tricia DeCesare buried one for the Titans, knotting the score 19-19 with 4:30 remaining in the half. That turned out to be South’s last hurrah of the half offensively, and the Eagles took a 28-19 lead into halftime.
“We struggled to score, and in the second round of states, that’s going to be difficult to overcome,” South coach Beth Mattern said. “Their defensive intensity picked up in the second quarter.
“They played with poise for 32 minutes and forced us into some bad decisions and made it tough to finish.”
Taylor Dunn (nine points) made it a 28-21 game early in the third quarter, but Kelly Jekot’s three-point play after an offensive rebound stretched the Eagles’ lead to double digits. It was still a 10-point game until Haley Meinel scored on a putback late in the quarter to make it a 39-31 game heading into the final frame. A Baughman triple to open the fourth quarter was followed by a Dunn bucket on a drive, but five straight points from Kelly Jekot put the Eagles on top 47-33 on their way to the win.
“They really executed, and we knew we would have to make good decisions offensively and defensively for 32 minutes in order to give ourselves a chance against them,” Mattern said. “We knew they were shooters – we did our homework, and we knew what they were capable of.
“They hit some big shots with very little space. Their guards had a little size on us, and they hit the shots.”
The Titans put their names in the history book, earning the program’s first ever trip to states and then winning their program’s first state game after a third place finish in districts.
“Setting our goals at the beginning of the year, it’s not that we didn’t believe we could make it here, but we had closer goals- the SOL Tournament, winning the league,” said Vitelli, who scored a team-high 18 points. “But making it this far is wonderful. It’s awesome, it’s everything I could have asked for my senior season. This was a great season to end on.”
Kelly Jekot showed why she was the 2015 PA Player of the Year, scoring a game-high 25 points – including a pair of three’s – while defending Vitelli.
“She played a heck of a game,” CV coach Bill Wolf said of his senior star. “She guarded #31, Vitelli. She brought the ball up when she had to, she rebounded, she posted up, she shot outside. She just did everything.”
It might well have been the 6-1 Jekot’s defense that provided the biggest spark. After Vitelli kept her team in it with 10 first-quarter points, Jekot – a Villanova commit – volunteered to take on the task of defending the South sharpshooter.
“We don’t really like to tire Kelly out on defense if at all possible,” Wolf said. “She wasn’t my first choice. I was looking at another girl, and I said, ‘Kelly, you want her?’ She said, ‘I want her.’ That was out of respect for that girl. We respect the heck out of 31, she’s a great player.”
Central Bucks South (11-3 SOL) closed out its season with a 22-7 record.
Central Bucks South 12-7-12-13 44
Cumberland Valley 16-12-11-17 56
Central Bucks South: Taylor Dunn 9, Jordan Vitelli 18, Courtney Dietzel 2, Mackenzie Ehresman 2, Alexa Brodie 4, Meghan Kuypers 2, Tricia DeCesare 3, Haley Meinel 4.
Cumberland Valley: Kate Jekot 7, Addison Kirkpatrick 14, Morgan Baughman 14, Kelly Jekot 25, Mackenzie Torresin 4, Jessica Tonrey 2.
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